Welsh black bees

Fishing-Nut · May 23, 2019, 10:56:43 AM

Anybody on here have any experience with them? Read a few articles recently and was pretty interested. Are they available in the USA? I have family from there so I'd be very interested in some more information about them.

Donovan J · May 23, 2019, 11:00:46 AM

I don't think they are available in the USA. Only in the UK and Europe

Fishing-Nut · May 23, 2019, 11:03:29 AM

I think so to Xerox....I wander if it's legal to ship just a queen to the states.

van from Arkansas · May 23, 2019, 12:13:07 PM

A person has to jump threw a lot of hoops to obtain permits for importation of honey bees, next to impossible. Sue Colby imported queens last year in 2018 to diversify US honey bee genetics. Mrs. Colby is world renowned, bee geneticist, professor in Washington, so she can obtain a permit.

Fishing-Nut · May 23, 2019, 12:28:37 PM

Thanks Arkansas, I sent her an email.

BeeMaster2 · May 24, 2019, 03:23:25 PM

FN,
If welsh black bees are anything like German Black Bees, that were originally brought here, I would not want to have anything to do with them. They are very aggressive.
Jim Altmiller

van from Arkansas · May 24, 2019, 06:12:19 PM

Jim, I have heard exact same about the original German black bee. I believe the bee was introduced to the US in the 1920?s and was a nightmare to deal with: bees were so mean. I do not know if they were ever called Welsh????

The main question I would ask: is there any pure breed bee in the US??? If they are yellow, I call the bee Italian, if Black I call them Carniolean but that just a name I impose to a mutt. There is no registration for honey bees in the US. I believe Poland is the only country in the world with registers for honey bees. Consider my knowledge is antiquated as I have not studied in a while.

Ben Framed · May 24, 2019, 06:52:44 PM

Interesting

BeeMaster2 · May 24, 2019, 07:23:22 PM

Van,
According to Michael Bush, the German Black Bee is extinct in the US.
Jim Altmiller

AR Beekeeper · May 24, 2019, 07:41:11 PM

According to the U. of Arkansas, 6 or 8 years ago there was a pocket of them in central Arkansas.

BeeMaster2 · May 24, 2019, 08:45:16 PM

I do not doubt that. Nature has a way of hiding species that the scientist say are extinct.
Jim Altmiller

van from Arkansas · May 24, 2019, 09:11:33 PM

Exactly, Jim. Off subject so I will be short. The black footed ferret was considered extinct until a North Dakota rancher showed FP&W a pocket of ferrets on his ranch. This was about the year 2000, not to long ago.

Ben Framed · May 24, 2019, 10:56:03 PM

Quote from: van from Arkansas on May 24, 2019, 09:11:33 PM
Exactly, Jim. Off subject so I will be short. The black footed ferret was considered extinct until a North Dakota rancher showed FP&W a pocket of ferrets on his ranch. This was about the year 2000, not to long ago.

While we are at it, I would like to see an ivory billed woodpecker, also last see in Arkansas?

Michael Bush · May 28, 2019, 11:54:14 AM

>I believe the bee was introduced to the US in the 1920?s and was a nightmare to deal with: bees were so mean. I do not know if they were ever called Welsh????

They were introduced to North America in 1622.

>According to Michael Bush, the German Black Bee is extinct in the US.

I'm sure I never said that. But if there are any still around they are probably watered down a lot by now. I used to see them in the early 70s occasionally. Most people seem to think they are gone.

van from Arkansas · May 28, 2019, 12:01:08 PM

1622, oh I was close only off by 300 plus years. BTW can either us say with certainty what year, or for that matter the specific species. We can say honey bees were introduced shortly after Columbus, that would be accurate.

The following is cut and paste from the history of honeybees in the US.

https://beesource.com/resources/usda/history-of-beekeeping-in-the-united-states/

No one knows how many colonies or hives of honey bees were brought to the American Colonies by the first settlers. Nor do we know from what countries they came: England, Holland, France, Spain, or perhaps somewhere else? It is likely that after the early imports all increase was by natural swarming. Since we do not know how many colonies were brought to the east coast, we cannot determine the degree of inbreeding.

Ben Framed · May 28, 2019, 12:17:27 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush on May 28, 2019, 11:54:14 AM
>I believe the bee was introduced to the US in the 1920?s and was a nightmare to deal with: bees were so mean. I do not know if they were ever called Welsh????

They were introduced to North America in 1622.

>According to Michael Bush, the German Black Bee is extinct in the US.

I'm sure I never said that. But if there are any still around they are probably watered down a lot by now. I used to see them in the early 70s occasionally. Most people seem to think they are gone.

When I was a boy my uncle ran across some black bees, I do not have a clue as to their pedigree. He found them in a duck box in a (very remote) area of a corp of engineers lake. The rangers wanted them out of the box for the ducks to use. These bees were very mean to say the least! He took the box home, as he was removing the bees, they stung dogs, neighbors, tried to get into the house, etc. He thought they were the killer bees that had been talked about so much at that time. He was so concerned that he Visited Tim Durham, The Walls Bee Man and talked to him about this. Best as I can remember Mr Durham assured him that they were not the killer bees but probably decedents of the Black German bee.

Fishing-Nut · May 28, 2019, 01:44:46 PM

That's interesting. I watch a lot of Tim Durham.

Ben Framed · May 28, 2019, 02:48:16 PM

Quote from: Fishing-Nut on May 28, 2019, 01:44:46 PM
That's interesting. I watch a lot of Tim Durham.

I haven?t spent a lot of time with Tim but he lives about 5 miles from me as the crow flies. I bought pollen from him last year. He is real nice and an interesting man to talk too. Always glad to help if asked. I have said it here before but I will say it again just Incase you didn?t hear the story. Many years ago, while he was living in North Carolina. He got a call from a lady which had a bee colony set up house in her house. She called and ask Tim if he would come and remove it. When he got there he saw it was aunt bee of the Andy Griffith show. He said she was so kind and sweet just like she was on tv. That?s a true story.

Fishing-Nut · May 28, 2019, 05:29:30 PM

Quote from: Ben Framed on May 28, 2019, 02:48:16 PM
Quote from: Fishing-Nut on May 28, 2019, 01:44:46 PM
That's interesting. I watch a lot of Tim Durham.

I haven?t spent a lot of time with Tim but he lives about 5 miles from me as the crow flies. I bought pollen from him last year. He is real nice and an interesting man to talk too. Always glad to help if asked. I have said it here before but I will say it again just Incase you didn?t hear the story. Many years ago, while he was living in North Carolina. He got a call from a lady which had a bee colony set up house in her house. She called and ask Tim if he would come and remove it. When he got there he saw it was aunt bee of the Andy Griffith show. He said she was so kind and sweet just like she was on tv. That?s a true story.

That's pretty awesome!

van from Arkansas · May 28, 2019, 06:10:32 PM

I watch Tim on YouTube, Walls BeeMan or something like that. Can?t miss that pink undershirt shirt and shorts. He seems like a sincere fella on his bee videos and expresses knowledge. He has a video wearing no protection, opens a hive and soon realizes a big mistake. Kinda funny video.
Blessings